Lionel Messi delivered a masterclass to lead Inter Miami past Nashville SC and into the Eastern Conference semifinals. After last weekend’s defeat at GEODIS Stadium forced a decisive third match, Miami responded with authority, shaking off the nerves that had built up during the week to set up a clash with FC Cincinnati.

Getty Images SportPraised Lionel Messi for his work rate and sacrifice

Messi secured his first MLS playoff trip to the semifinals after his two goals sparked a 4-0 win. Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano noted the veteran forward's work rate was equally as important as the goals he scored. 

“I have to congratulate Messi for the game he played. He was the first to lead our high press – seeing him press like that at 38 is crazy. What he did tonight was truly impressive," Mascherano said. 

AdvertisementInter Miami emerges stronger

Mascherano also praised his entire team after the dominant 4-0 victory, highlighting Tadeo Allende’s brace that sealed Inter Miami’s place in the next round of the MLS playoffs. The win capped a tough series in which Miami ultimately prevailed, and Mascherano noted that the squad’s veterans have played a key role in his development as a coach.

“The challenge remains the same – to live up to the level of the great players we have. Sometimes we manage it, sometimes we don’t,” he said. “As a coach, I try to be honest and work in the best way possible, knowing that I’ll make mistakes and must learn from them. It’s not easy to coach players with such a deep understanding of the game. That’s why you have to listen to them – I have the obligation to make decisions, but I’m not the owner of the truth. You have to listen and make the choices that can help us as a team.”

Getty Images SportMascherano unveiled an unexpected attacking trio

Regarding the attacking quartet of Baltasar Rodríguez , Mateo Silvetti, Allende and Messi, Mascherano pointed out he made the changes to give his side some unpredictability. 

 “Nashville kept changing throughout the series. We played four matches in a row against them – that’s never easy. In preparing for a game, you try to predict what the opposing coach might do, but sometimes what you prepare for doesn’t happen at all," he said. "In the first game, they used three defensive midfielders; in Nashville, they had a wider setup – different characteristics. 

"We tried to understand that within a single game, there could be many games. Silvetti, Tadeo, and Baltazar brought great energy to the team. That’s the advantage of having intelligent, hungry players. Silvetti had a phenomenal game, Tadeo Allende has had an outstanding season – strong both defensively and in attack – and we’ll try to keep that going.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportCincinnati is next

Looking ahead to the semifinal against Cincinnati, Mascherano warned of the challenge ahead. 

“It will be a very tough match – they’re a team that knows exactly how they play. If they can recover some injured players, it’ll be an intense game over there. They’re very clear in their ideas, so for us to compete, we’ll need to match their intensity," Mascherano said. "When we match the opponent’s intensity, things usually go our way. We’ll see how the week unfolds, especially with seven players returning from national duty – hopefully, they come back in good shape. It’s not easy to lose so many players at this stage of the season, so we’ll have to manage that carefully.”

But before that match, the manager stressed how important it was for Inter Miami to advance out of the first round. 

 “I’m proud of how we’ve reached this point in the season. We’ve gone through a lot of wear and tear, we’ve been playing for a long time, and I see the players enjoying themselves," he said. "I see smiles – and that’s the best way to experience football. Tactics and style come second when you see that joy. They’re in a good place, living it naturally. There are also some players who won’t be here next season, yet the atmosphere remains excellent – and that’s exactly what we need to keep building on.”

Glasgow Rangers decided to part ways with head coach Russell Martin last month after a dismal start to the season, which saw them win five of 17 matches in all competitions.

The Light Blues endured a dismal time on the pitch for the majority of his tenure, losing more than they won and conceding more goals than they scored.

Along with that, several of the club’s signings in the summer transfer window failed to make much of an impact for the former Southampton manager, including Thelo Aasgaard.

Why Thelo Aasgard has not been a successful signing

The Norway international was signed on a permanent deal from Luton Town in the summer, but he was unable to provide a single goal or assist as an attacking midfielder for Martin.

Aasgaard’s only goal in 16 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues so far this season came against Dundee United in Stevie Smith’s match as the interim manager before Danny Rohl arrived at Ibrox.

Hibernian

Danny Rohl

0 + 1

Kilmarnock

Danny Rohl

0 + 0

Dundee United

Stevie Smith

1 + 4

Falkirk

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Livingston

Russell Martin

0 + 0

Hearts

Russell Martin

0 + 1

Celtic

Russell Martin

0 + 0

St Mirren

Russell Martin

0 + 0

As you can see in the table above, the English-born midfielder flopped under Martin in the Scottish Premiership, and has yet to produce the goods for Rohl.

The 23-year-old flop was then sent off against Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden Park on Sunday, as he continues to struggle at Ibrox.

After that red card, Rohl should bring another player who flopped under Martin into the side, as Nedim Bajrami could be even better than the ex-Luton man.

Why Nedim Bajrami should be unleashed by Danny Rohl

The Albania international only played 195 minutes of football for the Scottish manager, per Sofascore, and made five appearances off the bench without managing a goal, an assist, or a key pass.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Bajrami was described as “anonymous” in a game last season by content creator Stevie Clifford, and that is exactly what he was throughout Martin’s reign.

However, the former Sassuolo man did show signs of promise when given opportunities to impress in the Scottish Premiership and the Europa League by Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson in the 2024/25 campaign.

Starts

15

8

Goals

2

1

Key passes per game

1.0

1.3

Big chances created

4

6

Assists

1

0

Dribbles completed per game

1.0

1.5

As you can see in the table above, Bajrami created ten ‘big chances’ in 23 starts across both competitions, but was only rewarded with one assist for his creative efforts.

This suggests that he was let down by poor finishing from his teammates, rather than it being a lack of creativity on his part, which is why Rohl should provide him with a chance to show what he can do in Aasgaard’s place.

After the clash with Roma in the Europa League this evening, Rohl should bring Bajrami into the starting line-up for the match against Dundee on Sunday, as he has the potential to provide more creativity than Aasgaard has.

The Norway international has failed to create a single ‘big chance’ in 809 minutes this season, per Sofascore, whilst the Albanian star created 11 in 2,330 minutes in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign.

Rohl can unearth his own Osmand by finally unleashing Rangers' "Boy Wonder"

Danny Rohl can unearth his own Callum Osmand by unleashing this Rangers youngster.

ByDan Emery Nov 4, 2025

This suggests that Rohl could unleash a more effective player than Aasgaard by bringing Bajrami into his XI to feature more prominently than he did under Martin, when he was completely anonymous due to his lack of game time.

Earlier, Pant, batting with a fractured right foot, scored a half-century and helped India cross 350

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-20250:52

Manjrekar: India batted in different bowling conditions from England

Tea England backed up their captain Ben Stokes taking a five-for with an unbroken opening partnership of 77. Those runs came at over five an over, taking a big bite out of India’s 358 all out on the second day in Manchester.It was a disappointing bowling performance from the visitors, particularly in helpful conditions and to follow a display of great bravery from Rishabh Pant who came out to bat on a fractured foot and scored a half-century.England weren’t particularly keen to score so quickly. Zak Crawley needed 13 balls to get off the mark and those runs came with a reminder of the danger the pitch still posed as a Jasprit Bumrah delivery rose up sharply to rap him on the bottom hand. Crawley displayed excellent judgment outside his off stump and ironically only started to look vulnerable once he had runs against his name, the confidence of seeing off the new ball coaxing him to play away from his body and could have been bowled off the inside edge.Ben Duckett didn’t need to be so careful, at any point in his innings. India fed him on his pads and he tucked in with glee. All his seven boundaries came on the leg side and he stands on the cusp of completing a half-century at almost a run a ball. Duckett welcomed Anshul Kamboj with three fours in his first over of Test cricket, the debutant chosen to open the bowling ahead of Mohammed Siraj.India must pick themselves back up again because they showed great heart in getting to an above-par total. Pant put his body on the line – literally because Stokes targeted that broken front foot of his – and had enough in him to hit a 90th six in Test cricket, putting him level with Virender Sehwag for the national record. He also went past Alec Stewart for most runs by a wicketkeeper in a Test series in England. The mere fact that he was able to walk – let alone bat – moved the fans at Old Trafford who gave him a rousing ovation.Stokes found similar approval from the crowd when his tireless and relentless display was rewarded with a first five-for in eight years. He was a threat when he bowled full because he was getting both ways movement – Shardul Thakur found that out when he was caught at gully for 41 – and he was a threat when he went short – which did Washington Sundar in. Stokes has 16 wickets in the series now, a career-best for him going past the 15 he took in the 2013-14 Ashes when he made his debut.

He widened the terms of the game’s discourse with his insightful, analytical mind, always upending conventional wisdom

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Dec-2024When India toured England in the summer of 2018, R Ashwin delivered a masterclass like no other.These masterclasses had been running for years, with Ian Ward, a former Test cricketer himself, coaxing the likes of Shane Warne, Muthiah Muralidaran, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Curtly Ambrose to give viewers a peek into their inner workings. Ward is an expert at steering players into talking about their craft in a way that straddles the line between nerdy and accessible to regular folk watching on TV.Now Ward juxtaposed two Ashwin deliveries on his screen: one that slid on with the round-the-wicket angle into the left-hand batter, and one that dipped and ripped past Alastair Cook’s groping bat and flicked the top of off stump. Ashwin dismissed Cook the same way in both innings of that Edgbaston Test.Related

R Ashwin: the unlikely superstar who is never quiet

R Ashwin: the great problem-solver who played cricket for cricket's sake

How to make wickets happen in T20s – the Ashwin angle

Two Ashwin wickets, and what they say about his craft

R Ashwin: 'I've always been good at assessing batsmen, but now I think I've taken it to another level' (2021)

“For a youngster,” Ward asked Ashwin, “what’s the difference between the wrist position and where it’s coming off the fingers, to do those two deliveries?”Scores of current and former greats have given Ward precisely the kind of TV-friendly answer he’s looking for. Warne, famously, put his variations in neat, beribboned boxes: this is how I bowl the big, sidespinning legbreak; this is the one with a bit more overspin; this is the toppie; the googly; and oh, I flick the flipper out with my thumb, like this.Warne, of course, knew and mastered the infinite gradations between the sidespinner and the overspinner, but he also had an intuitive grasp of what TV audiences wanted.Ashwin didn’t give Ward the neatly packaged insight he was after. Instead of showing how he released the undercutter and the big offbreak, he launched into a demonstration of the various ways he cocks his wrist while loading up different deliveries. He even described how he does this for the arm ball, a variation Ward hadn’t even asked about.Viewers who had followed Ashwin’s career for any length of time may have chuckled at this, because this was typical. Among the many things this great cricketer has excelled at over his long career is denying interviewers the answer they’re looking for, while giving them entire chapters of tangential material. Few players have been as generous with their insight, but as with everything else about Ashwin, the generosity has come on his own terms.It has always been this way. The first time I interviewed Ashwin was during a Tamil Nadu-Railways Ranji Trophy game in 2008, a year and a half before his international debut. I asked the questions of a 21-year-old cub reporter, and he gave the answers of a man only a few months older but already nearing elite status in his profession.

Throughout his career, he has been more invested than most in broadening the boundaries of his sport, and more willing than most to throw open the doors of his laboratory

I asked him about his strengths as an offspinner. He told me that his big, strong fingers allowed him to give the ball a rip, and that this, allied with his height, enabled him to generate bounce on most pitches. And immediately, unprompted, he went on to describe the bounce as a double-edged sword, and explain why he often bowled with long-on back even in red-ball cricket, because the bounce made it easier for batters to hit him over the top. “I don’t want to give them that release shot.”It took me years to grasp the wider implications, but it was a valuable early lesson that cricket is all about trade-offs. If you want to strengthen the slip cordon, you’ll have to leave a gap somewhere else. A middled drive off a good-length ball is no less risky than one that’s edged behind. A fielder at long-on isn’t always a sign of defensive thinking. If you want to describe the sport properly, you must look at events in the context of these trade-offs. Never in isolation, never through the binary of good and bad.How Ashwin railed against binaries. After his most chastening home series, against England in 2012-13, he bridled against the wave of criticism that came his way, but what bothered him wasn’t the tone of the criticism but the fact that so much of it was inaccurate. He was happy to admit that he had struggled to control his length during that series, but couldn’t fathom the narrative that this had happened because he bowled too many carrom balls.For all the misplaced criticism he attracted, Ashwin also gained a growing band of admirers who tried to keep up with what he was doing to his craft. Wittingly and unwittingly, he went on to spend his entire career in the eye of a cyclone of narrative and counter-narrative.He came to occupy that space for many reasons. It was partly because he came along when cricket was being recorded at far higher resolutions and far greater frame rates than before, when holes in conventional wisdom were becoming increasingly evident to the viewer. He came along at a time when a significant number of journalists, analysts, commentators and observers on social media – the lines between these categories were also becoming blurry – were making a concerted effort to see the game for what it was, even if the mainstream was slow to respond.Drift into middle, clip the top of off: Alastair Cook was masterfully bowled twice at Edgbaston in 2018 by R Ashwin•Getty Images & PA ImagesBut it was also because Ashwin was a singularly active challenger of conventional wisdom, not just on the field – as no doubt many others also were – but off it too. He cared deeply not just about his game but game too, and how it was described.He went to great lengths to explain the effects of sidespin and overspin, and the typical behaviour of red-soil and black-soil pitches, but would roll his eyes if you generalised too broadly. “Come on, man,” he seemed to tell you. “It’s not that simple!” He contributed greatly to a widening of the terms of cricketing discourse, winced when those terms were misused, and never stopped trying to tell you how things worked. Sometimes, he’d throw in a stunning revelation when you least expected it.Watch that masterclass now, and it’s clear Ward has no idea what’s about to hit him when he asks Ashwin about his carrom ball, summoning onto his screen what he believes is an example of it.Then Ashwin tells him, and all of us: “The one there, actually it’s not the carrom ball.” He explains that he flicks the carrom ball out of the front of his hand, and this variation – he describes it as a “backflipper” here, but will soon begin calling it the reverse carrom ball – from underneath it, with the seam up. He says batters have begun to pick his carrom ball now, so he occasionally slips in this variant; the right-hander shaping to punch with the turn, through the off side, is suddenly confronted with a monstrous inswinger.All this becomes obvious when you watch it alongside Ashwin’s explanation, but it’s far from clear until he’s talked you through it.Ashwin revealed all this unprompted, in a widely televised interview, and along the way revealed something of who he is. Throughout his career, he has been more invested than most in broadening the boundaries of his sport, and more willing than most to throw open the doors of his laboratory. And he’s been entirely secure in the belief that he’ll remain a step ahead of the rest of us, everyone from his opponents to the casual fan, even if he gives away all his secrets.

Tottenham were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a superior Newcastle United side at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night, and pundit Jamie O’Hara was quick to point out one player during the 90.

Newcastle 2-0 Tottenham

Spurs fell behind with 24 minutes gone when Fabian Schar met Sandro Tonali’s corner – which was delayed by Djed Spence re-tying his bootlaces – with a firm downward header, prompting ultimately-futile protests from the visitors that the defender had not been allowed to get back into position.

Thomas Frank’s side might have been level through their most fluent attack of the half 13 minutes before the break when Brennan Johnson headed the ball into the path of the unmarked Lucas Bergvall, but his cross fell behind Richarlison and the midfielder only just failed to reach Johnson’s driven ball at the far post two minutes later.

Aaron Ramsdale fielded Kevin Danso’s speculative effort and Richarlison’s header, but in the meantime, Harvey Barnes had fired against the crossbar after Thiaw had played a Tonali cross back across goal and his side headed in at the break with the slimmest of advantages.

Joe Willock should have extended Newcastle’s lead within two minutes of the restart, only to mistime and misdirect his header from Barnes’ cross, but he soon made amends after Malick Thiaw picked off Danso’s ball forward.

Willock crossed for Nick Woltemade to head past Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was stuck in two minds coming out to parry, with the Magpies doubling their advantage.

As Spurs pushed men forward in the search of a foothold, the hosts prospered on the counter, but they needed a superb one-handed save from Aaron Ramsdale to keep out Pape Sarr’s curling attempt on the hour and another to repel Richarlison’s clever flick from a Pedro Porro cross.

However, there was no way back for Frank’s men in the end, as Spurs went back down south with nothing to show for their efforts.

Jamie O'Hara slams "non league" Antonin Kinsky for Tottenham goalkeeping

Given what was a questionable bit of goalkeeping at best from Kinsky, with the Czech ace at fault for being in no mans land for Woltemade’s goal, O’Hara was among the many critics to take aim on social media.

This moment sealed Tottenham’s fate as Frank’s side went crashing out of the cup, and there is a serious case to be made that Kinsky’s fatal error of judgement cost the Lilywhites a place in the quarter-finals.

O’Hara, taking to X, blasted the 22-year-old’s “non league” goalkeeping standards right after Woltemade’s first and Newcastle’s second of the game.

There have been doubts surrounding number one Guglielmo VIcario’s ability to command his area this season, but the Italian’s exceptional shot-stopping against Monaco and Everton all but seals his place as Frank’s first choice keeper for now.

Going by his display against Newcastle, the young Kinsky could still have some way to go, though it is important to remember that the ex-Slavia Prague sensation is still in his infancy when it comes to goalkeeping years.

MatériaMais Notícias

John Textor, sócio majoritário da SAF do Botafogo, voltou a acusar que o Palmeiras teria sido beneficiado pela arbitragem nos últimos anos. Sem apresentá-las, o norte-americano afirmou ter “provas pesadas, 100% confirmadas” sobre o caso.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

De acordo com o empresário, o Verdão vem sendo “ajudado” há pelo menos duas temporadas.

➡️ Com apenas R$50, você pode levar mais de R$240 no Lance! Betting se o Grêmio vencer o The Strongest

– Ano passado foi turbulento. Não vou deixar o que aconteceu ano passado ir desmarcado. Estamos em uma nova temporada por vir. Temos provas pesadas, 100% confirmadas de que o Palmeiras vem sendo beneficiado por manipulação de resultados por pelo menos duas temporadas. Desculpe se isso vai criar barulho, mas tenho provas, vou mandar aos procuradores. Estou aqui para defender a honra do meu clube. Os jogadores têm que jogar, os torcedores, torcer. Mas isso é uma luta, e estamos juntos. Podem ter certeza que ninguém vai mexer nas nossas partidas desse ano. Prometo a vocês – afirmou, em entrevista ao “Canal do Medeiros”.

Em 2023, o Alviverde foi campeão brasileiro e superou o Glorioso na tabela, que tinha 14 pontos de vantagem em relação ao time paulista. Antes, em 2022, o Verdão também conquistou o torneio. Em ambas ocasiões, nenhuma autoridade apresentou indícios de favorecimentos.

continua após a publicidade

Textor começou sua “batalha” contra o Palmeiras quando o Botafogo foi derrotado por 4 a 3, de virada, ainda pela última edição do Brasileirão. Ele definiu a partida como “roubo”, fez acusação de corrupção e pediu renúncia do presidente da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues. As falas culminaram em sua suspenção por 30 dias.

➡️ Palmeiras ‘ignora’ acusações e espera que John Textor apresente provas de corrupção

Desde então, o dono da SAF do time carioca faz acusações de casos de corrupção na arbitragem brasileira, mas nunca apresentou provas. No último mês de março, o Verdão emitiu nota abordando o tema.

continua após a publicidade

VEJA A NOTA DO PALMEIRAS NA OCASIÃO

A Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras informa que tomará todas as medidas legais cabíveis – nas esferas civil, criminal e esportiva – contra o dono da SAF do Botafogo, John Textor, para que ele responda pelas declarações irresponsáveis e levianas que, recorrentemente, têm envolvido o nome do atual bicampeão brasileiro.

A nossa história de 109 anos é pautada pela ética e pelo respeito aos adversários e entidades. Se Textor tem informações sobre a prática de atos ilícitos no futebol brasileiro, que as apresente imediatamente aos órgãos competentes, incluindo os públicos.

Aceitar a derrota, por mais dolorida que ela seja, é o primeiro passo a ser dado por quem almeja se reerguer. Vale lembrar que, no ano passado, sofremos uma dura eliminação na semifinal da Libertadores, mas a superamos rapidamente porque tivemos autocrítica e não terceirizamos culpas.

Em vez de administrar um momento de instabilidade com a frieza que se espera de um empresário, porém, Textor prefere se portar como um caricato cartola à moda antiga.

Ressaltamos o nosso mais profundo respeito pelo Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, clube centenário com o qual tivemos o privilégio de disputar, em 2023, um dos mais emocionantes Brasileiros da história.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoJohn TextorPalmeiras

Amad Diallo’s delightful volley continued Manchester United’s unbeaten run and extended Sean Dyche’s wait for his first Premier League win as Nottingham Forest manager.

United arrived on a run of three straight wins and Diallo’s late volley rescued a 2-2 draw, which was probably a fair result at the end of a helter-skelter encounter that the Red Devils went ahead in, albeit under controversial circumstances.

The City Ground faithful were left furioius at the decision to award the corner from which Casemiro headed home the opening goal, and Dyche also highlighted Bruno Fernandes’ placement of the ball outside the quadrant, speaking to Sky Sports.

“It’s not inconclusive, I’ve seen it back,” the 54 year-old said afer Nicolo Savona was adjudged to have taken the ball out of play.

He continued: “Funny enough I was talking to the powers at be, the referees, about the quadrant. We all watch it, you can see the ball is outside the quadrant from 80 yards away, but they allow it because it’s one millimetre with the ball hanging over the line, a bit like the goal line technology.

“So apparently today the assistant referee can see 70, 80 yards away, it’s got to change.”

Dyche’s men returned after half-time interval with the bit between their teeth and levelled three minutes after the restart. Substitute Yates clipped over a cross from the right and Gibbs-White held off Diallo to get away a header that crept inside the far post.

It looked like Savona would have the last laugh too, coolly scoring in the 50th minute. Another cross from the right took a deflection and looped up, with the ball bundled on as Jesus challenged with United players. The Italian was the beneficiary, taking a touch and finishing from six yards.

United tried to level and Fernandes came closest, seeing a hopeful long-range strike skip off the turf and hit the far post. Casemiro just failed to turn home the rebound.

Manchester United have found their next Amad

Jesus headed into the side-netting and Hudson-Odoi went close as Forest pushed to settle things, only for Diallo’s moment of magic to draw United level in the 81st minute.

Forest failed to effectively clear a corner and the Ivory Coast international unleashed a wonderful left-footed volley from the edge of the box that flew past Sels, sparking bedlam in the away end.

The goal was given after a VAR check and United pushed hardest for a winner, with Murillo stopping Diallo snatching victory in stoppage time.

كشفت تقارير صحفية الحيلة التي لجأ إليها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” من أجل عدم غياب كريستيانو رونالدو عن بداية كأس العالم بعدما تم طرده أمام أيرلندا.

كان منتخب البرتغال قد حل ضيفًا على نظيره أيرلندا، في الجولة قبل الأخيرة، من تصفيات قارة أوروبا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026 الصيف المقبل.

ونال كريستيانو رونالدو بطاقة حمراء مباشرة، في الدقيقة 61 بعدما اعتدى على أحد لاعبي منتخب أيرلندا بـ”الكوع” دون كرة، حيث تدخلت تقنية الفيديو في الموقف قبل اتخاذ القرار النهائي من جانب الحكم.

وبطبيعة الحال، غاب كريستيانو رونالدو عن المباراة التي تلتها والتي كانت أمام أرمينيا وانتهت بفوز رفاق رونالدو بنتيجة 9/1.

اقرأ أيضًا | فيفا يعلن عقوبة رونالدو بعد واقعة “الكوع”.. وموقفه من أول مباراة في كأس العالم

وفرضت لجنة الانضباط التابعة لـ “فيفا” عقوبة الإيقاف عن اللعب لمباراة واحدة على كريستيانو رونالدو والتي قضاها بالفعل ضد أرمينيا ومباراتين أخريتين لكن بشرط تحسن سلوكه.

وبحسب ما نقلت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، سيتمكن كريستيانو رونالدو من اللعب بشكل طبيعي منذ بداية كأس العالم أما المباريتين الأخريتين المقرر أن يغيب عنهما، فسيتم إيقافه لمدة عام ولن يقضي فترة الإيقاف إلا في حال تكراره للخطأ.

ووفقًا للمادة 27 من قانون الانضباط للفيفا، يتم إيقاف المباراتين المتبقيتين لمدة عام واحد، أي إذا ارتكب كريستيانو رونالدو مخالفة أخرى ذات طبيعة وخطورة مماثلة لحالة الطرد خلال فترة الاختبار، فسيتم إلغاء الإيقاف المفروض في القرار التأديبي تلقائيًا ويجب تنفيذ المباراتين المتبقيتين على الفور في المباراة الرسمية التالية للمنتخب البرتغالي.

Liverpool’s players were much improved in their 2-0 win at home to Aston Villa, but Dominik Szoboszlai was yet again his team’s star man.

The Reds picked up a vital three points at Anfield on Saturday evening, with Mohamed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch getting the goals, and Arne Slot was in positive spirits after the game.

“Happy with the result, with the performance and what I saw today, not only from the players but also the support we got from the fans, was what we needed today. Maybe we were a bit more on the lucky side than we’ve been in the last few weeks, where in my opinion we were also unlucky.

“So, the mistake of their goalkeeper and the deflection led to two of our goals. These are the margins we are talking about. I think in other games we’ve created more from open play than we did today. But in football it’s about results, not about the chances you create from open play.”

It was a night where so many Liverpool players found a new gear after poor form, including Mohamed Salah, who scored his 250th Liverpool goal, but it was Szoboszlai who stood out yet again.

Minutes played

90

Tackles won

2/2

Ground duels won

3/6

Recoveries

5

Pass completion rate

93%

Successful dribbles

1/1

Shots on target

2

Szoboszlai now Liverpool's "most important player"

Writing on X after the win over Villa, ESPN journalist Beth Lindop heaped praise on Szoboszlai, even calling him Liverpool’s “most important player” at the moment.

It is hard to argue with this assessment, with the Hungarian proving to be one of the biggest positives in an otherwise frustrating season to date.

While so many players around him have floundered, he has consistently reached his best level, providing incredible amounts of energy and showcasing his versatility by excelling in attacking midfield, defensive midfield and at right-back.

On current form, Szoboszlai is undroppable for Liverpool, giving Slot a conundrum when it comes to using the Reds’ second-most expensive signing in history, Florian Wirtz.

The German is still adjusting to life in the Premier League, and with the trio of Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister all doing well against Villa, it is hard to find a place for him currently.

Liverpool willing to sell first-team star to fund £150m Adam Wharton move

It could be one out one in for the Reds’ midfield next year.

ByBen Goodwin Nov 1, 2025

There is the option of playing Wirtz in the left wing in place of Cody Gakpo, but either way, Szoboszlai is a shoo-in for any Liverpool game, and has to be considered one of the first names on Slot’s team sheet.

Best game all season: Liverpool star was even better than Salah & Gravenberch

In case you haven't heard, Juan Soto didn't make the All-Star Game in his debut season with the New York Mets. And he's not happy about it.

But instead of citing the on-field reasons why he's disappointed about missing out on the Midsummer Classic, Soto, who signed the largest deal in professional sports history at $765 million in February, was bummed due to missing out on a bonus in his contract.

"What do you think?" Soto said to a reporter who asked if he's disappointed he didn't make the All-Star Game. "I think it's a lot of money on the table [if I make it]."

Michael Kay wasn't a fan of his response. In fact, he initially thought Soto's comments were a cringy AI video until he saw that the official SNY account on X (formerly Twitter) posted the clip.

"Oh, goodness gracious. Talk about being tone deaf," Kay said on his radio show on ESPN New York. "C'mon, Juan. … You're making a smidge under $47 million this season. And you're upset you're not making the All-Star Game because of an All-Star bonus that you have in your contract? Do you know how bad that looks that you said that? … Do you even realize how that makes you look?"

Soto would have made an additional $100,000 if he was voted into the All-Star Game, according to the Associated Press.

Soto got off to a rough start in his Mets career, logging a .752 OPS in April and batting just .219 in May. But he was scorching hot in June, hitting .322/.474/.722 with 11 homers and 20 RBIs in 27 games, which was enough to earn him the NL Player of the Month honors.

Ronald Acuna Jr., Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker will start in the outfield for the National League, while Corbin Carroll, Kyle Stowers, Fernando Tatis Jr. and James Wood will serve as the reserve outfielders.

Soto, meanwhile, will have to watch the All-Star Game from his couch—with no $100,000 bonus in his pocket.